Elijah Wood Raves Over Chilling Thriller Not for the Faint-Hearted, 16+ Only!

Not only has Elijah Wood proven himself as a formidable actor time and again, but he also has a keen eye for quality films. He showcased this once more during his recent appearance at the esteemed Criterion Closet, a haven for film aficionados.

He passionately discusses psychological thrillers like The Vanishing and The Game, which he believes are “still vastly underrated”. While discussing the visual and auditory impact of films such as Blow Up, “a tremendous film” that he initially discovered through its soundtrack by Herbie Hancock. Or the documentary Straight No Chaser, an “intimate and beautiful portrait of jazz pianist Thelonious Monk,” noting that it’s a “fascinating entry into the artist’s world, even for those unfamiliar with jazz.”

Elijah Wood also examines the distinct artistic styles of major directors like Stanley Kubrick, selecting Eyes Wide Shut, and Wes Anderson, from whom he takes the entire filmography, noting the evolution of their unique artistic identities.

“This Film is Not for the Faint of Heart”

Among his curated selection is the intense gem: Funny Games by Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke. “It’s both upsetting and brilliant, but it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s funny, horror movies don’t really scare me. Horror doesn’t frighten me, as it often stems from the imaginary. What terrifies me is the things humans do to other humans, often without apparent reason, and this film is certainly a depiction of that,” comments Elijah Wood.

Officially selected at Cannes in 1997, the screening of Funny Games was one of the most tumultuous in the history of the festival, which is no stranger to controversy, according to Gilles Jacob.

The film even provoked visceral hatred from Nani Moretti, a jury member that year under president Isabelle Adjani, to the extent that he threatened to quit the jury if Haneke’s shocking film received any awards.

Indeed, if the Austrian filmmaker had already made a name for himself with chilling and captivating films like Benny’s Video, he pushed discomfort to an unprecedented level with Funny Games.

“I Was Frustrated by the Media’s General Handling of Violence”

Armed with a simultaneously stark and relentless directorial approach, frequently breaking the fourth wall, Haneke gives viewers no respite in this tale of a family held captive and tortured by a pair of young sadists. Paralyzed by the abhorrent spectacle unfolding before their eyes, viewers are prisoners of their voyeuristic desires and taste for violence.

“I was frustrated by the way the media generally handles violence, in a consumable manner. So, I wanted to make a film that corrects this portrayal. I find the trivialization of violence dangerous. I wanted viewers to realize what they’re watching,” commented Haneke, clearly critiquing Hollywood’s often irresponsible, gratuitous, and even cool treatment of violence.

“In this game, the pawn… is you, the viewer. Your voyeuristic sadism, your reactions, your pleasurable fear. Haneke takes you at your word: you like the spectacle of murder, of violence, of terror? (Don’t say no, think of all the deaths you’ve seen on a screen in your lifetime.) Well, you’re going to get it—up to the limit of bearable. No one will be spared, not the child, nor the dog,” wrote Gilles Verdiani, a film critic for Première, in February 1998.

Adding: “You will have no psychological explanation (trauma, revenge, madness) to comfort you. Not even a motive. It will not be stylized to look beautiful, nor twisted to be funny, nor distanced to be less painful. It will be cold, precise, and relentless. Want to try?” 29 years after its release, the impact left by the film remains just as thunderous. And reserved for a very informed audience.

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